Nagarjuna unveils his six packs

At 50 plus, Nag is giving the younger lot a run for their money. After going in for a total makeover — spiked hair, French beard and all — for a romcom with Nayanthara, the actor is now all set to show off his six packs in his upcoming film with Anushka.

While most of us might think it must have been a herculean task for the actor, Nag insists it wasn't tough for him. "I have not undertaken any special exercises for this film as I am fully fit. Generally, those wanting to flaunt six packs need to go in for two to three months of strenuous exercise and controlled diet, but since I exercise regularly, I had to diet and workout for only a month to get the look," he says.

And going by Nag, sporting six-pack abs is nothing new to him. "A decade ago, I had worked on my abs, but I never wanted to flaunt it on screen. In fact, if you closely observe the jail scenes in Sri Ramadasu, you'll notice that I sported a well-built body. However, since it was a devotional film, I had to use make-up to conceal it and even used a shawl to cover it up," he says.

Given his dislike for shedding his shirt, what prompted him to go shirtless for his upcoming film? "As cliched as it may sound, the film's script demanded it. Cameraman Chota K Naidu and director Srinivas Reddy told me that the ripped look was required in the climax scene. I agreed to do it," Nag puts it simply and goes on to add, "Well, I was willing to put in the needed effort and of course, the camera work is there. The lighting and 'oiling' definitely help enhance the look!"

Clarifying rumours that his upcoming film is based on Amish Tripathi's novel The Immortals of Meluha, Nag says, "It is not true. Even Amish called me up and asked me about it. I narrated the entire story of the film. I have also given it in writing that the film is not based on his novel. I do not know how these rumours have cropped up. Maybe it's because I had earlier stated that I read the novel and liked it a lot."

When asked if he foresaw a BO war this Dusshera as Pawan Kalyan's film and his movie were releasing at the same time, Nag says, "My film is releasing in less number of theatres and I am happy about it. Pawan is in great form and following the resounding success of Gabbar Singh, he needs more theatres and I wish that both our films do well."

Signing off on an optimistic note, Nag says, "The Telugu film industry has tasted good success this year and I hope it will continue."